


Fortune

by Thunder_the_Wolf



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Other, trigger warning human trafficking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 22:43:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20825021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunder_the_Wolf/pseuds/Thunder_the_Wolf
Summary: Power of Three AU where a newcomer throws off the plot by about the flap of a butterfly's wings. Possibly more than that. Either way, ThunderClan is in for a wild ride.





	Fortune

The sun had set long ago. The stars sparkled in the dark blue sky, allowing every Clan cat a feeling of peace. StarClan watched over them all. 

The forest, however, was not so peaceful. A dark figure raced through the trees, kicking up leaves and stumbling over roots as she ran ran ran… she almost didn’t get away fast enough. 

“Get back here you little brat!” A much bigger black-and-white tom with blazing yellow eyes snarled as he raced after the kit. “I wasn’t finished with you!” 

Out of nowhere, a huge white shape barreled into the patched tom, bowling him over and clawing wherever he could reach. Eventually, his claws were at the tom’s throat. 

“You come into my forest, disturb my prey and my night because you can’t keep a kit in line? Why is she running away in the first place?!” The large white tom snarled. 

“That stupid kit is mine,” The yellow-eyed tom sneered. “And not your concern.” 

The silver-grey kit backed away from the two quarreling toms only to run into another. She squealed and curled herself into a ball, wishing she could just disappear… 

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” The tom she ran into had creamy fur and his tail looked like it had been bitten off. 

She backed away, tail pressed against her stomach. No way was this tom going anywhere near her! 

“Hey, kit, what’s your problem-?” The cream tom yowled in pain when she bunched her muscles and aimed straight for his giant pink nose. 

“Berrypaw, you leave that kit alone!” The white tom snarled from where he blocked the black-and-white tom from view. The she-kit curled against the tree and the cream tom, Berrypaw, clearly got the message because he didn’t bother her again. 

Eventually, they got the patched tom, Horace, to go away. The white tom padded over to the tree and crouched so he could see the kit burrowed inside. 

"My name is Cloudtail. Berrypaw and I are going to take you back to our Clan so our medicine cats can help you, but we need you to come out first." 

The white tom, Cloudtail, spoke softly but wasn't patronizing. Definitely not like Horace or the other cats at that despicable place. More like Carlos, and Carlos was safe. 

The kit crawled out from under the tree, crouched low to the ground, and stared at Cloudtail. 

"The only thing a healer can do for me is put me out of my misery, but it's worth a shot." She offered softly. Horror spread across the white tom's face, but he picked her up by the scruff of her neck and started walking. She closed her eyes and let herself be lulled to sleep. These toms wouldn't hurt her... for now. 

* * *

"What'd you drag in this time, Cloudtail?" 

The white warrior went on, ignoring his Clanmates' demands. He had to talk to Firestar. 

"This is getting to be a bit much." The orange leader greeted his nephew with a look of surprise on his face. Cloudtail placed the kit at his paws.

"She was about to die, Firestar. Clan cat or not, do you want to be the leader who let kits be murdered on their own territory?" 

"No, but we might as well be the laughingstock of the forest!" He snarled. "What happens when our Clan is too big because we've taken in every stray around the lake?!" 

"Calm down! You're scaring her!" Sandstorm snapped at her mate, sweeping the kit behind her in a defensive move. The kit peeked out from behind Sandstorm, determined to face her fears. She loped over and stood in front of Firestar. 

“If you really don’t want me here then I’ll go. I didn’t count on Cloudtail and Berrypaw and I don’t need you and your precious Clan looking down on me for being something I can’t control.” She informed the ginger leader. “You Clan cats sure are picky."

Firestar’s eyes widened in shock with each word. 

"She'll stay until she's at least six moons. If she wants to stay longer then she'll become part of the Clan. If not, then we can't stop her from leaving." 

"Bye." The kit snorted. She'd pass six moons in a moon or so. 

"Stay right there!" Her training kicked in and she froze in place. Cloudtail sighed, feeling as if a ton of boulders dropped on him. "Turn around and sit down, facing us." He ordered. 

He'd seen cats like these, who were forced to obey bigger, stronger cats, who literally had no choice. They did what they were told or suffered the consequences. There was no escape. He was glad she had managed to do the impossible. He didn't think they started out this young! The kit's eyes blazed with fury. 

"I should have known not to trust another cat; even if you do live in the forest, you must have gotten a taste of city life. There's no other way you know what to say."

"When I was younger, I got my food from Twolegs. In short, I was captured by them and taken to a place with a bunch of other captured cats. They'd formed their own groups and some of the stronger cats started to bully the weaker ones, she-cats and toms alike. They stripped them of everything that made them free cats, forced them to do  _ whatever _ they wanted. They... broke these cats' brains, made it so that the smalls responded to the new names they were given and certain words they said. It was disgusting, watching it happen. I couldn't do much because I was separated, spared, but I got out of that place with the first Twoleg that came calling. I know enough to know how to get you to listen but I need you to tell me so no cat forces you by accident." 

"Is that an order, Master?" The kit asked. Cloudtail flinched but shook himself out and closed his eyes.

"Yes." He muttered reluctantly. 

She told them the words she was conditioned to respond to.

"Thank you." The white tom said when she was done. 

"For what?" She asked, confused. That was something the cats in charge said to each other, never to the underlings. 

"You trusted me." 

Trust was also reserved for the Masters.

"I owe you for keeping me." 

Cloudtail squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. Apparently he wasn't used to being a Master. 

* * *

The tan she-cat, Sandstorm, led her to the nursery, where two she-cats, one grey, and one cream, laid in nests of bracken and moss and feathers. The grey one had two kits, one pure white and the other red-brown, while the cream one had three kits snuggled up to her, one solid black, one golden tabby, and one grey tabby. Every cat slept soundly and she was almost sorry to disturb such peace.Maybe if she weren't so tired herself... 

Sandstorm prodded her out of her thoughts and turned away, obviously asking her to follow. The pair trudged across the camp and back to the pile of rocks leading up to the leader's den. Sandstorm picked her up by the scruff and climbed the giant boulders onto the ledge. 

"She can stay with us until everyone wakes up for good. We can announce her presence then and not a moment before. Are we clear?" She glared at the cream tom, Berrypaw, the most. 

"Yes, Sandstorm!" The three toms nodded in harmony and Cloudtail led Berrypaw out of the den. 

"You can sleep next to me if you're comfortable with that, or I can make you a nest with some moss from ours." The tan she-cat offered. 

"I can share." The kit told her.

_ We shared all the time at the- no. I swore I wouldn't go there!  _

The three cats settled down to sleep for the rest of the night and it occurred to Sandstorm just as the tan queen began to drift off, no one asked the kit her name. 


End file.
